Home Artists Posts Import Register

Content

For your viewing pleasure.

Files

Convening the JRPG Council | Sacred Symbols+, Episode 362

Who doesn't love a good JRPG? Well, a lot of you, as it turns out. But for those as enamored with the storied genre as I (Colin) am, this episode of + is for you. Along with Dustin of Sacred Symbols fame, I've invited Punching Up's Gene Park and Summon Sign's Brad Ellis -- JRPG fans and experts all -- to talk about the state of the category, our best and worst experiences within, and what the future might hold. Heck, we even try to define the term 'JRPG' itself, with some (but not total) success. There's no doubt that Japanese gaming is back in a major way; there's also no denying that its role-playing devs and publishers deserve some of the credit for the comeback. So let's give thanks to our beloved JRPGs, wrinkles and all, and delve deeper into how they tick, and why we're so immensely drawn to them even decades after our respective introductions. 0:00:00 - Introduction 0:12:11- Defining the term JRPG 0:48:20 - What game or series is often called a JRPG, but isn't? 1:00:18 - How did your journey with JRPGs begin? 1:11:30- What's your favorite JRPG? 1:24:24- Who is your favorite JRPG publisher? 1:29:42 - Who is your favorite JRPG developer? 1:44:06 - What's your favorite JRPG series? 1:57:35 - What's the best JRPG you've played in recent memory? 2:05:20 - What's the worst JRPG you've ever played? 2:12:56 - What's the darkest era for JRPGs? 2:24:00 - What's your most anticipated JRPG / what's the future of the JRPG genre?

Comments

Zeke the Plumber

I’ve never played Persona 3 or Persona 4. Next month I’m planning on binging through P3 Reload, P4 Golden, and P5 Royal I also still need to play Tales of Arise and Yakuza: Like A Dragon

Lockmort

There will be a reckoning.

There’s No I in LLC

I was gonna say Granblue Relink looks promising except for it’s god awfu name

Mike D

To Colin's point about souls games needing the "execution" or skill as well as the levelling up- when I first played Demon souls many years ago I didnt know what I was doing, but I found out about an exploit that would let you level up infinately. I got myself up to level 200 (for context, I would complete the game years later at level 66), but despite my high level I couldnt beat any of the bosses, I was at a brick wall, all because I didn't "get good", and eventually had to give up.

iain mcmanus

creative business unit 3 is a awesome name

iain mcmanus

Digimon world was awesome

PRETENTIEUX

My favorite donut is the sour cream donut. Sounds weird but if you haven't tried it, I've never had a bad one in my life.

PRETENTIEUX

Doesn't help that in souls games it seems like it is standard for an entire level of work to grant you a magnificent 1% boost to one or two stats only.

Otrant

Colin playing Kingdom Hearts would be peak content.

TreelineMars

So Ghost of Tsushima is a JRPG, right? I finished my first go just the other day and it is awesome 😎

Jorge Padua

oh man, I'm just preparing a wall to describe how great Castlevania 2 is absolutely amazing from a certain perspective.

Walker Simmons

I've never heard anyone compare the souls series to stylized character action games like DMC or Bayonetta lol

Olivier

Fun discussion, and it would be nice to see similar SS+ focusing on different genres. But it would be interesting to have a section dedicated to lesser known franchises or just ask "your favorite niche game/serie" just to bring to light games that might have been forgotten or just deserve more recognition.

drew

Between this and constellation I think we have beat the "what is a JRPG" horse to death.

Tyler Kottmyer

To go a slightly different direction with Colin's whiskey example, should JRPG not describe a lineage of thought and systems? Japanese whisky does not include an "e" in the word because it is trying to imply a lineage with its projenitor, Masataka Taketsuru. He's best described as a reverse weeb for Scotland.

Spanky

Dustin, I had the same exact experience with Digimon World when I was a young lad. First time where I played a shit game that gives you actual shit. Haha.

Misko 1023

This won’t load for me! What the hellmans

Breno Bezerra Bluhm

Great episode! Love this jrpg crew. My first experience was with Pokemon and for the longest time I didn’t really interest myself in getting into the other famous games of the genre. I feel like I can finally call myself a jrpg fan tho, loving playing so many games in the Final Fantasy series since past year. Looking forward to playing Persona for the first time this year, I do own Persona 5 Royal in both the Switch and the PS5 but I’m waiting for Persona 3 Reloaded to be my first experience in the series.

Germanos

Souls games are not JRPGs because there is no fishing minigame in them. Case closed.

Ben Stone

In Sekiro you had to go fishing for the Carp and it was tied to a side quest. Does that count? Instead of a fishing rod you used a samourai sword haha!

superbadisfunny .

This entire conversation is very similar to is avatar The last Airbender an anime lol I say it's an western anime

Diego Casillas

What's with Gene's whole "white people can finally make a good story game" comment? lol yikes. Great watch though, can't wait to see more jrpgs on the horizon (DQ3 remake, Persona 3, FF7 Rebirth, sequel to Like a Dragon).

Breno Bezerra Bluhm

He was clearly talking about RPGs and he’s not wrong. When he says white people he’s talking about western developers mate. Don’t try to turn it into something problematic.

Daniel

Thoroughly loved this conversation gents - would love to see more JRPG linked videos with the council! Watched this front to back, it got me super stoked to try to play some more JRPG's myself this year.. and also got me nostalgic. Loved it.

Benito

Yeah, Souls games are about spacing and environmental awareness, not combos or fast combat. Interesting to see how non Souls players perceive the genre.

TheMuff1nMon

Why? Tales of Arise is great - sure, the pacing tanks at the end but great game otherwise.

Sean Barrett

Gene bringing up Dragon Warrior, I remember I would be at my grandparent's house and all the cousins would be gathered around and would sit around together and watching the oldest of us playing it. It blew me away to see a game where you can see your entire party following you. I remember the game would freeze at the interaction with a wizard. We weren't sure if we answered wrong and the game just ends or if it crashed.

Giovanni D'Amico

Loved this ep - hope the JRPG Council convenes every quarter! Adding Matty to this lineup would really put it over the top.

Calcifer

Hey guys, I'm loving the episode. Just wanted to put Colin's definition of JRPG here and add something: "A single player, story and character driven game, traditionally developed in Japan, that emphasizes typically non-skill driven combat, statistical growth, equipment and upgrading and a linear plot told within a non-linear presentation." The only thing that I would change is the description of the combat gameplay. He says "non-skill driven" but I would say something like "not twitch" or "not reaction" based. Or I would add something like "The gameplay within combat would fall somewhere between the Action Genre (twitch/reaction based) and Turned Based Strategy Genre." I'll hang up and keep listening now. Cheers!

SIR_K_Daddy

Just want to say that all the donut shops in my town in Texas are all owned by Asians and they are all better than I've ever had